About 70 TPS 7th and 8h grade parents and students were in for a treat last night when 10 of our alumni currently in high school took part in a panel discussion about their high school experiences. They represented Agnes Irwin, CAPA, Central, Science Leadership Academy, Friends' Central, Friends Select, Germantown Friends, Sacred Heart, St. Joseph's Prep, and Springside Chestnut Hill.

Alums addressed the following questions (and more):

How was the transition from TPS to your school?

It really didn't seem hard at all; that was a surprise.

What’s the workload like?

I was prepared for the workload - especially after having Emily Marston as an eighth grade teacher!

In tenth and eleventh grade, the workload gradually increased.

How are you able to balance academics and extracurriculars?

I had to limit the number of clubs I joined to five; I probably wanted to join 12!

At my school they understand that I have a commitment to dance at Koresh; they always give me extra time to hand in my work when they know I am in a production.

How did you make your final decision about which school to attend?

Shadow days were a big influence. I chose my school because when I visited, I felt comfortable, was engaged in the classroom, and knew I would fit in.

I decided I wanted a big school - the polar opposite of TPS!

What’s the social scene like?

Because everyone at my school was a new ninth grader, it was easy to make friends.

Going to an all-girls school you find out that the idea of it being a place of drama is a myth.

Have been at TPS surrounded by friends since preschool, I didn't know that making friends took effort - this seemed hard at first, but then I quickly learned how to do it.

Is there a project or unit of study that you loved or are looking forward to?

I loved my cultural studies research paper - we wrote ten-page papers!

I am looking forward to some of the projects our Service Committee is doing.

As seniors, we do "exit projects" - I am doing mine about music therapy, the field I hope to go into one day.

We extend a huge thank you to Sophie Berg, Donnay Burden, Drew Cooper, Jacky Damis, Dionna Felton, Daniel Leonard, Midora Middleton, Emily Stephens, Courtney Williams, and Ellie Zack for coming back to TPS and helping the Class of 2015 in their search for a high school!